Editing Taylor Report (section)

== Consequences ==

As a result of the Taylor Report, most clubs refurbished or rebuilt stadiums (partly, and in some cases completely), while others built new stadiums at different locations. This was the case with clubs who were frequently playing in the upper two divisions of the English league during the first half of the 1990s, as well as clubs from the third tier who were on the verge of making the breakthrough to the league's top two divisions.

These changes resulted in a number of [[Terrace (stadium)|terraces]] being replaced by all-seater stands, two of the early examples being [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]'s Stretford End and [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]'s North Bank, which were both demolished in the summer of 1992. Two years later, [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]'s Holte End and [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]'s [[Anfield#Kop Stand|Spion Kop]] were both demolished.

The 1990s saw the closure of some of the oldest football stadiums in England, including [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]]'s [[Ayresome Park]] and [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]]'s [[Roker Park]], in favour of new sites which were more suitable for all-seater capacities that would have been practically impossible on the site of the existing grounds. Although a number of clubs from the lower divisions had relocated during the intervening years, Middlesbrough's relocation in 1995 was the first permanent relocation of any top division club for more than 70 years.

The clubs who remained at their existing homes inevitably saw a significantly reduced capacity, with attendances at matches being lower still while the conversion work was taking place, although the clubs who took part in the new [[Premier League|FA Premier League]] from the [[1992–93 in English football|1992–93 season]] had money from the disbursement of the sale of television rights to help fund redevelopment work. Clubs that had progressed through the football league pyramid from lower levels in a short space of time during the 1990s, were allowed to keep standing accommodation in the top two divisions after the end of the [[1993–94 in English football|1993–94 campaign]]. The most recent Premier League club to have standing accommodation were [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] in [[2001-02 in English football|2001–02]], as they had been in the fourth tier of English football six seasons previously and reached the second tier in 1999. Clubs to have had standing accommodation in the second tier of English football since the mid 1990s include [[Reading F.C.|Reading]], [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]], [[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]], [[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]] and more recently [[Colchester United F.C.|Colchester United]], [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]] and [[Yeovil Town F.C.|Yeovil Town]]. With the exception of Gillingham and Yeovil, this was due to the club planning relocation to a new all-seater stadium.

[[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]] had standing accommodation at [[Burnden Park]] right up to its closure at the end of the [[1996-97 in English football|1996–97 season]], after which they relocated to the all-seater [[Toughsheet Community Stadium|Reebok Stadium]]. Bolton had first announced their intention to leave Burden Park in favour of a new all-seater stadium just before winning promotion from the league's third tier in 1993.

This included a season in the Premier League, and a total of three seasons in Division One. [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]], who left [[Roker Park]] for the [[Stadium of Light]] at the same time, also had standing accommodation in the Premier League during their old stadium's final season in use. However, the club had been seeking a move to a new stadium for at least five years before relocation was completed, which was delayed when the original plan for a new stadium next to the local [[Nissan]] [[Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK|factory]] collapsed.

[[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]] had converted [[The Dell (Southampton)|The Dell]] into an all-seater stadium in the early 1990s as a short-term measure to comply with the Taylor Report, reducing capacity to just over 15,000, while a site for a new larger stadium was identified. It closed in 2001 on the completion of [[St Mary's Stadium]].

[[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] had briefly considered relocation at the beginning of the 1990s but then decided to redevelop [[Filbert Street]], building a new 9,500-seat stand there in 1993 and filling in the remaining standing areas, although by 1998 relocation was again being considered, with attendances rising and Leicester doing well on the pitch, and finally happened when the [[King Power Stadium|Walkers Stadium]] was completed in 2002.

[[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] had converted [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]] into an all-seater stadium with a capacity of nearly 39,000 (down from more than 60,000 in the late 1980s) in 1993, with further expansion of Highbury considered. However, further expansion of Highbury was complicated by the fact that two of the stands were listed structures. Local residents objected to any further expansion at Highbury and the local council was not sympathetic. After a failed bid to take over [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] in 1998, the Arsenal board announced in November 1999 that an industrial site at [[Ashburton Grove]] had been selected as the site for a new 60,000-seat stadium. The new stadium was originally planned to be completed in 2003, but a long battle for planning permission meant that the new [[Emirates Stadium]] finally opened in time for the [[2006–07 in English football|2006–07 season]].

[[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] had originally taken the option of redeveloping their existing stadium, [[Maine Road]], which became all-seater in 1995 following a redevelopment which included two stands being rebuilt, which gave it a capacity of 35,000. There were plans for further redevelopment which would have taken the capacity beyond 40,000, but these were postponed following relegation from the Premier League in 1996, and by the end of the decade, plans for further expansion at Maine Road were abandoned after the club agreed to become tenants at the new [[City of Manchester Stadium|Eastlands]] site, where a new sports stadium was being built for the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]]. Manchester City moved to Eastlands (now called the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons) at the start of the [[2003–04 in English football|2003–04 season]]. 
 
[[Wimbledon F.C.|Wimbledon]] moved out of the dilapidated [[Plough Lane (1912–98)|Plough Lane]] stadium in 1991, to become tenants at [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]]'s [[Selhurst Park]], which was redeveloped as an all-seater stadium. This was expected to be a short term measure for a few seasons until Wimbledon found a site for a new stadium of their own, but ended up lasting 12 years and ended in controversial circumstances. Plans for a new 20,000-seat stadium in the [[London Borough of Merton]] had been unveiled in 1988, with the intention of relocation being completed in the early 1990s, but never materialised and the site was later developed for other uses. Various plans for a new stadium were reported throughout the 1990s, even a move to [[Dublin]], before in 2003 the club relocated to [[Milton Keynes]] where they played at the [[National Hockey Stadium (Milton Keynes)|National Hockey Stadium]] (adopting the name [[Milton Keynes Dons F.C.|Milton Keynes Dons]] in 2004) before moving into a new permanent home – [[Stadium MK]] – in 2007. To maintain a presence in the London Borough of Merton, a group of Wimbledon fans set up a new club ([[AFC Wimbledon]]) after the move to Milton Keynes was given the go-ahead in May 2002, and the club played at [[Kingstonian F.C.|Kingstonian]]'s [[Kingsmeadow Stadium]], later taking over ownership of the stadium, although a move to a new stadium in the London Borough of Merton was always the club's long-term aim. In November 2020, AFC Wimbledon finally moved into a new stadium at [[Plough Lane]], almost 30 years after the departure of the original Wimbledon club from the area.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/afc-wimbledon-will-move-into-plough-lane-home-on-november-3/|title=AFC Wimbledon will move into Plough Lane home on November 3|date=9 September 2020|work=London News|access-date=5 January 2021}}</ref>

Some clubs had started upgrading their stadiums before this rule was introduced. For example, [[St Johnstone F.C.|St Johnstone]] in [[Scotland]] arranged for the construction of [[McDiarmid Park]] in the mid 1980s. The stadium opened in time for the [[1989–90 in Scottish football|1989–90 season]] and was already nearing completion when the Hillsborough disaster occurred.

[[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]] had made their [[Highfield Road]] stadium all-seater during the early 1980s, but within a few years, it had reintroduced standing accommodation after the all-seater format proved unpopular with fans; the club later reverted to an all-seater capacity in the early 1990s following the Taylor Report, and left Highfield Road for the larger [[Coventry Building Society Arena|Ricoh Arena]] in 2005.

A number of clubs seriously considered relocation in response to the Taylor Report – and did so in the years ahead – but ultimately decided to remain at their original location. These include Newcastle United in the mid 1990s, and Liverpool, who in the early 2000s had plans to leave [[Anfield]] in favour of a [[Stanley Park Stadium|new stadium]] in nearby [[Stanley Park, Liverpool|Stanley Park]], which at one stage they were considering sharing with local rivals [[Everton F.C.|Everton]], but these plans collapsed after a decade in favour of expansion work at Anfield. Everton, on the other hand, have since decided to relocate from [[Goodison Park]] to a [[Everton Stadium|new stadium]] which is due to be completed in 2024, nearly 30 years after relocation was first planned by the club's then owners.